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Coal & Mineral Production

The Total Value of Coal Produced in 2007 is Estimated to be $930 Million.

Download the mineral and coal fact sheets:

Production

  • Colorado is ranked 7th in coal production in the U.S.
  • 10 Colorado coal mines produced 36,012,756 short tons of coal in 2006.

 

Employment

  • Colorado has 2,246 coal miners: the most since 1988.
  • The average coal production is 8.52 tons per miner-hour, one of the most efficient rates in the nation.

Uses of Coal

  • Electricity generation in power plants
  • Cement and steel-making processes
  • Coalbed methane and coal gasification

Distribution and Consumption

  • 68 percent of Colorado’s coal is shipped by rail to Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Utah, Mississippi, and Wisconsin.
  • 13 Colorado power plants consumed 19.37 million tons of coal in 2006, generating 37.5 million megawatt-hours of electricity.
  • Most of this coal is from Colorado, but some is from Wyoming.

Colorado Coal Quality

  • Coal produced in Colorado is low in sulfur and ash content.
  • Colorado’s “clean coal” can be used at power plants without the added cost of washing.
  • Colorado coal is also very low in mercury and arsenic.
  • Western U.S. coal contains less sulfur than eastern coal.

 

For more information on coal resources and coal mining visit: